Denise Chan

Welcome

I'm an experienced print designer with shiny new skills in web design, development and photography.

Print Design

Since 2002, I have delivered brand-driven marketing and in-store solutions for some of the top retailers in the country.

From the design of signage campaigns to billboards, newspaper ads to invitations, I have risen to the meet the demanding nature of the retail industry through dedication, effective problem-solving, and the ability to switch priorities rapidly.

The Backyard Living category is one of the most complicated at Canadian Tire. In 2015, the CANVAS brand was launched and I negotiated with business owners, merchandisers and copywriters to ensure that the CANVAS brand was featured prominently, while balancing the needs of the other brands and businesses.

This was the first major P.O.P. push for CANVAS and the the teams involved wanted their in-store presence to be fresh and unlike anything Canadian Tire customers had seen before. The artwork I created helped define the look of the brand in a way that would appeal to style-conscious customers.

When Canadian Tire revamped Premier, their existing paint line, a major component of their brand relaunch were the paint brochure takeaways for customers. These brochures educate and inspire customers while emphasizing the friendy, easy-to-use nature of the new paint line.

For the graphics on bottom displays, I manipulated existing artwork to fit the new proportions without major distortions to the background patterns. The top portion of the displays were loosely based on an existing sign, with further refinements to allow for bilingual copy.

Since trade show graphics are generally one-offs, I supplied both “safe” and more adventurous options for the graphics for the Mastercraft and Maximum booths. I made sure that all options were inline with brand guidelines and was pleasantly surprised to have some of my more exciting ideas move forward.

Web Design

I began transitioning into digital design in 2012 with a series of continuing education courses in web development and user experience design. But it was just a little taste and I wanted more.

Last year, I left my full-time role in print design to immerse myself in the accelerated Web Design, Development and Maintainance program at Humber College. Now I am able to create with code.

My first major assigment, this is a responsive 5-page site for an imaginary paint brand. Made from scratch with HTML and CSS. View the Hue site

A responsive two-page restaurant site showcasing some of my photography. Made from scratch with jQuery, HTML and CSS. View the Buca site

A responsive one-page scroller featuring my dog. Made from scratch with jQuery, HTML and CSS. View the Nibbler site

My second major assignment, this is a responsive one-page scroller with an email newsletter, animation and sign up form. Made from scratch with JavaScript, PHP, jQuery, HTML and CSS. View the Rubik's Cube site

As a group assignment, we created a robot fighting game. I focused on the documentation of this project,including research, content strategy, copy writing, and layout. View the Robot Rumble game. You will have to register to play.

Side projects

In my spare time, I like to experiment with new creative outlets.

After many years of working with other people's images, I decided to take a photography class and discovered a new found passion. It gave me a real sense of empowerment as a "creator" and I take as many classes as I can squeeze in to further develop these skills. Next on the horizon? Food styling and flower arranging.

For my wedding invitations, I was inspired by the Market Kitchen, the event space at the St. Lawrence Market booked for our cocktail party; I envisioned a traditional fabric pattern with food illustrations. I built upon this idea for the patterns for my ceremony and dinner receptions.

In late January, I discovered Gastropost, a weekly food page in the National Post featuring using submitted photos on a specific theme. For &dlq;The Chili Bowl&drq; challenge, my image was featured on the Gastropost instagram page, printed in the paper and used for their email blast. When Gastropost ended in mid-February, and I submitted a love letter, made of cinnamon hearts.

One of the projects for my Food and Product photography class was to shoot a cover and inside spread for fictional food magazine. I knew instantly that I wanted a very dark and dramatic cover, contrasted with a bright white inside spread. When the class was done, I had so many photos that I decided to design a few more spreads.

About

As a designer, I’m in the business of helping clients tell their stories.

I started my career in editorial design where I learned to use typography to establish meaningful connections with readers. I was always proud to see the issues I had worked on at the newsstands; each article the result of a successful collaboration with a team of wise wordsmiths. But I was young and curious, so I jumped at the opportunity to apply my skills to retail environments.

During the transition into retail, the dizzying pace and constantly changing roadmap was invigorating. Crafting dynamic in-store environments, experiences you could literally walk through, was eye-opening. Here, I used my skills to help customers to find inspiration for their own self-expression, to find the right products for their lifestyle, or to simply find their way around the store. Each of these things may seem small, but taken together, they have a big impact on a retailer’s ability to connect with their customers where many buying decisions are made.

Today, I’m still curious. Working my way through courses in web design, web development and photography, I'm finding new ways to tell stories. Now I'm just looking for new stories to tell.